


Midnight at Clocktower

by Dmonius



Category: DCU
Genre: F/M, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-24
Updated: 2011-09-24
Packaged: 2017-10-24 00:31:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/256845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dmonius/pseuds/Dmonius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I've already posted this story at livejournal, so now it's going to be part of this as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Midnight at Clocktower

Bury all the pictures and tell the kids that I'm ok  
Even if I'm forgotten you'll remember me for a day  
Kings of Leon: Pyro

It was common rule in the Justice League and the association of superheroes operating in Gotham City – simply called the Batfamily – that Oracle was everywhere. During all those nights when Batman and his companions, consisting of Robin, Nightwing, Black Canary, Batgirl, Huntress and the other Birds of Prey to the very least, operated and patrolled through the depths of Gotham City, Oracle was somewhere behind them. As an imaginary shadow she followed the heroes through the city, through these nights of everlasting hunt and fight against crime and anything dubious the City had to offer.  
After she had made herself a cup of tea – a fine surrogate to the caffeine that kept her awake and alive – she repositioned herself on the controls of the clocktower.  
“I'm back,” she whispered into the microphone, even after she had allowed herself a little break after the whole disaster with Harvey Dent's escape. No one gave a reply. She was Oracle. Oracle would always guide them, lead them, chaperon them,  
Only to save them, Oracle considered herself too weak and frail, which wasn't that much of a matter those times either. Sometimes, Alfred would call her, ask obediently for any assistance which she always denied.  
“You know, dear,” Barbara said. “If I hear a noise which doesn't belong into this place and can't see anything on surveillance, I probably know that Catwoman is back in town.”  
“I didn't make any noises,” Selina said, sounding quite piqued.  
“Yes, you did. I'm not a liar.”  
“You're surprised.”  
“It's not that I sit here in my underwear, do I?”  
“What kind of tea is this?”  
“Come out of the shadows and I can give you a cup.”  
“Cats can see in the darkness.”  
“And I can hear there.”  
Selina – surprisingly not in her costume but in a dark dress – made a few steps forward and sat on the desk of the main computer. It was not that Barbara hadn't told her hundreds of times not to do so but as you couldn't teach a cat a trick, it was hard to force Selina to accept rules she didn't make herself.  
Barbara gave her another of her usual black cups of tea and leaned back to watch the dark haired thief putting way too much sugar into the cup. Barbara thought about asking her for milk, but denied it, chuckled and turned back to the screen.  
“What's up this night, dear?” Selina asked.  
“Only the usual things.”  
The clock struck and announced the beginning of a new hour; after the twelfth chime, Barbara drank again and Selina got bored with the silence, asked the question on her lips: “That's everything? You could tell me more, I'm something like an associate, ain't I?”  
“Bruce dealt with Harvey Dent ten minutes ago. That's more than you need to know.”  
“I guess he'll be put back into Arkham?”  
“That's the place where they all go.”  
“What's up, dear?”  
“It's nothing.”  
In order to gave no other response, Barbara made several small sips and stared at the clock on the buttom of the display. Selina had already grabbed her iPad and started playing a rather silly game of cards; she didn't look at Barbara anytime who knew what this was meant to convey.  
“The missing piece is in Sector 4A,” Barbara said, slightly glaring at a small window where any action on the iPad was transmitted on a smaller scale.  
Apparently bored, Selina laid the iPad down on the desk again and finally drank at her cup of tea.  
The moment came. Notwithstanding any hopes, wishes and more secret desires, the moment had to come. Sometimes, Oracle even seemed to predict it by the way the two boys moved.  
“Oracle, Robin and I are going to patrol at East Park corner together if that's okay. Seems to be much trouble out here.” This time, Dick had the nerve to say it himself. Usually, it was Tim's turn. They were as predictable as the full moon.  
“Any of you could take this alone,” was Bruce's usual reply, but he sounded busy.  
“I'll note it,” Barbara said. “Huntress will patrol in your part of East End, Robin, if that's not a problem.”  
“Approved,” came Helena's short reply.  
Then, Barbara got a message that Robin and Nightwing had deactivated the com connection to the rest of the team and of course to her – Oracle. She sighed and turned her attention to a surveillance camera at WayneTech when Selina asked her: “Are they really allowed to do that? You know, Bruce can be a control freak sometimes...and I thought that had run off on you, too, dear.”  
“I know. I have a remote control for their comlinks.”  
“So why don't you turn them on again, dear?”  
“Because I don't want to.” Barbara's answer had been harsh and strict, way to fast and of course made it all worse than it already was.  
“Do it, dear...let me hear instead” Selina said and grabbed the second pair of headset. “That's way too creepy.”  
“It's a matter of trust,” Oracle – not Barbara – said. “They trust me that I take care of them. That I keep their secrets, protect them from any harm.”  
“You can't take care of them if you aren't there. So, I guess there is a certain reason why you turned it off?”  
Last not least and tired of this talk, Barbara's fingers moved on the keyboard and when she reached the Enter key, Selina could listen to Dick's and Tim's secret talk. The only thing they heard that night were Tim's calm breath while Dick slowly uttered an expression of affection and attraction; a single sentence which once, many years – felt centuries – ago had been Barbara's. In her inner eye, Barbara imagined how Dick would caress Tim gently, kiss him on the cheek and the lips while they both laid on a rooftop within sight of the clocktower.  
“I love you.”  
Selina grabbed Barbara's hand and held her tight the moment when Barbara repeated the word in silence. There was a tear in her eye as she turned the comlink off.  
Selina had reminded her of one certain aspect of her life. She was Oracle.  
She had to be everywhere – even in the very end.

“I'm back,” Oracle announced, but Dick didn't care at all. It wasn't that she could get anywhere without that wheelchair – and he knew her to well to guess that she would ever lose control about the clocktower.  
Dick reached the roof of the jewelry store at the corner of East Park this moment; the new moon shone bright and seemed rather close at this particular midnight. Dent was already putting back to Arkham – something he wanted to tell Tim about – and the clocktower told him that it was nearly twelve o'clock, Tim had to be on his way.  
Of course, Dick sensed his move coming. The boy kicked off his legs...well, he tried to for Dick was already in the air; he jumped behind the new Robin, grabbed his throat and pulled him without any further resistance down on the roof. They breathed heavily for mere moments, looked at each other through the lenses of their masks.  
“Oracle, Robin and I are going to patrol at East Park corner together if that's okay. Seems to be much trouble out here.” Dick smelled Tim's scent from his neck, his index finger laid on Tim's lip, telling him to be silent. Usually, this would be Tim's turn, but the one who got them the spare minutes from patrol was usually the one to set the pace for the final intercourse – and in Dick's world, it could at least be his turn once.  
“Any of you could take this alone,” Bruce remarked. Sometimes, Dick could predict his reactions and behaviour as easily as the chimes of the clocktower. It was odd how he always reacted the same – but Batman would never grow suspicious, as he was the only one in the wild world who didn't know the importance of group dynamics.  
“I'll note it,” Oracle said. “Huntress will patrol in your part of East End, Robin, if that's not a problem.”  
Of course, Helena approved the extra shift without any further obstacle. It gave space for Dick and Tim and they turned their attention to themselves. They shared a kiss and the moment after, their comlinks were turned off.  
“You're getting careless, old man,” Tim commented on the short sparring they had on the way in.  
Dick kissed his cheek and caressed his lower lip with his thumb while he looked on what was fully his for this mere moments to come and all the others to await. He took the youth's mask off and kissed him again on the forehand the first time, slowly and exploring the lower part of Tim's face afterwords. His hand slide along Tim's uniform and pressed on the abdominal muscles.  
“Where did they come from?” Dick asked provokingly. “I haven't seen you training for months – and I still can't believe why you don't turn fat.”  
“You spend more time in Blüdhaven than with me, pal. In a few months I will even outfight Black Canary, that's fore sure.”  
“You're jealous?”  
“Can't be jealous of a city.”  
“I was talking about Black Canary.”  
“Should I?”  
Dick smiled and helped the boy to get up. Nightwing took off his mask and laid his hand on Robin's shoulder. He turned left, closer to the boy's face, who laid his head on Dick's chest. Dick closed his eyes and only heard Tim's far too calm breath. “No,” he said, and heard a strange, short noise the same time.  
Tim breathed again in expectation and Dick laid back to allow him to lay his head on Nightwing's stomach. His index finger slid along Tim's cheek and the lips again before Dick said the words he had waited to utter for a whole week: “I love you.”, came over his lips and was followed by nothing more than a kiss on Robin's gelled hair.  
Dick heard how the comlink was turned off a second time – probably through remote control due-to the strange sounding noise appearing a second time. To him, it sounded like the clocktower stroke a thirteenth time.  
Somehow, he was sure it did.


End file.
